This Is What Will Happen When You Replace Coffee With Matcha

There has been a general misconception about the relationship between matcha and green tea. Given the legion of followers within the tea-drinking community, many people have been misguided to think that all green teas are matcha. However, it should be noted that matcha is only one type of powdered green tea. To qualify as matcha green tea powder, it has to be extracted from tencha leaves and undergo a disciplined growing process.

When the tea leaves are just starting to bud, they are protected from sunlight. This process delays physical growth development but the production of amino acids continues to increase internally. When they are picked and grounded, the end product is a bright, almost luminous, green powder. The newer the leaves, the sweeter the taste and these are reserved for the highest grade of matcha. For slightly matured leaves, they taste slightly less sweet and more bitter. These are normally sold as cheaper matcha grades and can also be used for cooking.

Matcha Is On The Trend

Matcha green tea has managed to gain a legion of faithful followers and an increasing number of people are constantly jumping on the bandwagon. One of the main appealing points about matcha lies in its ability to be treated as a substitute for coffee. While many people have made the conversion from coffee to matcha green tea, highlighted below are 9 vital points that are bound to convince the remaining critics to make the conversion.

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Reason 1: No Consequences Of A Caffeine Spike

Although coffee possesses the ability to keep the senses awake due to its high caffeine content, it does come with several drawbacks. The increased energy levels that are produced by coffee consumption is only a temporary effect and once it starts to wear off, the body will feel more tired than before. To sustain this productivity rate, the body craves for more caffeine. Otherwise, it surrenders to the exhaustion and simply goes to rest. Additionally,studies have shown that a sudden increase in caffeine creates havoc to the psychological state of mind and cause users to experience nervousness and jittery.

In contrast, matcha green tea contains roughly a third of the caffeine content as compared to coffee. However, due to the presence of the L-theanine phytonutrient, the caffeine is stored in the body and released at a much slower pace. On the average, it takes up to three hours for the body to absorb the whole caffeine content of matcha green tea. This enables it to keep the body energized for a longer period without suffering the consequences of a caffeine spike.

Reason 2: No Nervousness And Jittery That Is Brought On By The High Caffeine Levels In Coffee

Another benefit of L-theanine phytonutrient is its ability to offer a calm sensation to individuals. While it helps to reduce any signs of stress and anxiety, it also increases the alpha brainwaves that can invoke a sense of relaxation without any feeling of drowsiness or sleepiness. This is a stark contrast to the feelings of nervousness and jittery that is brought on by the high caffeine levels in coffee beverages.

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Reason 3: Better Oral Hygiene With No Coffee Stains And Bad Breath

Matcha’s antibacterial properties extend further to provide vital protection to the teeth, prevent plague build up and improve general oral health. On the other hand, coffee stains the teeth and also causes bad breath that is a major turn-off for many people.

Reason 4: You Will Experience Better Concentration And Focus

Matcha green tea also puts its users in a positive mood and help them concentrate better. This is made possible by the increased secretions of serotonin and dopamine in the body. Both elements are vital neurotransmitters that are effective in preventing depression and stabilizing mood.

Reason 5: You Will Absorb All The Antioxidants That Matcha Has To Offer

Unlike coffee, matcha green tea has long been lauded for its extraordinary antioxidants capabilities. Scientists have proven that not only can the antioxidants prevent the growth of cancer cells, it can also help to fight against the free radicals within the body.

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Reason 6: You Will Enjoy An Enhanced Immune System And Detoxification Of The Body

Iron, calcium, protein, potassium, vitamins A and C are some of the nutrients that matcha green tea offers. The powerful combination of these nutrients helps to boost the immune system and ensure its normal functionality. In addition, the high chlorophyll content also qualifies matcha green tea as an effective detoxifier that helps to rid the body of all impurities, toxins and heavy metals.

Reason 7: You Will Burn Calories At A Faster Rate And Increase Metabolism Rate

Another distinct advantage that coffee lacks is the ability to increase metabolism rate and help to burn calories at a faster pace. Many weight loss products contain matcha green tea extracts due to itsprovenprowess of burning calories 4 times faster than the normal rate, allowing users to benefit from faster weight loss.

Reason 8: You Will Benefit From The Anti-Aging Properties Of Matcha

For consumers who are more focused on their appearances, the antioxidants in matcha extract also boost anti-aging properties mainly derived from the high level of antioxidants. It helps to fight off skin diseases and offer essential protection against the harmful effects of UV radiation.

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Reason 9: You Will See An Improvement In Your Skin Condition

Coffee intake has been associated with bad skin conditions and can also cause acne outbreaks. In contrast, matcha contains antibacterial properties that can help to clear any acne outbreaks and also provide the skin with a radiant glow.

Tips To Implement Matcha Into Your Daily Life

Despite the extensive health benefits of matcha green tea, it is not necessary to totally swear off coffee and make a hardcore switch. Ultimately, the body needs time to adjust to new and healthier appetite choices. For starters, it might be more prudent to drink a cup of matcha green tea in the morning instead of relying on the caffeine spike. A small cup of coffee in the afternoon is not a bad idea but it should be recommended for evening consumption. As the body slowly adapts to the new diet choice, it will be easier to switch to matcha green tea permanently and protect the body from harmful effects of coffee consumption.

5 Exercises To Improve Intimacy and Create a Better Relationship

Making love can be simultaneously the most pleasurable and the most stressful experience that we share with another human being. It is a natural conclusion of the ritual of intimacy we engage in with a person we find attractive on both a physical and psychological level. Yet, we are far removed from our animalistic roots, and that which was once a matter of instinct has become somewhat complex. This is a good thing; we have grown as a society, and there are many factors involved when it comes to the relationship between sexual partners. However, we have also lost a great deal of the physical prowess our primitive ancestors had.

They engaged in a huge amount of physical activities daily — activities that ensured their cardiovascular system and muscles were in great shape, which allowed them to have healthy libidos, strong erections, and the muscular strength, limberness and endurance to maintain different positions for a long time without getting exhausted. Luckily, we can regain some of these animalistic traits with the right kind of training. Here are some essential exercises that will help improve your relationship, but making you more confident in intimate settings, which means that you’ll have more satisfying intercourse.

1. Cardio for Stamina

If you’re out of shape, the first thing you’ll notice during intercourse is that you start to breathe heavily, sweat profusely and tire easily. This means you’ll have to shift your posture frequently and limit yourself to a few positions you feel comfortable with or significantly slow down the pace. A high BMI has also been linked to potential problems with erectile dysfunction. Cardiovascular exercises like running, jumping rope, swimming and cycling will build up your aerobic stamina and enable you to perform longer before becoming fatigued, thus having better intercourse. They’ll also help manage your weight, possibly helping performance.

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Running – 10-20 minutes a day (1-3 miles a day is more than enough)

Jumping rope – 5-20 minutes a day

Swimming – 30 minutes a day

Cycling – 30 minutes a day

The time in minutes denotes time spent actively performing the exercise, and you need to factor in a bit more time for warming up before and cooling down after the exercises.

These exercises can be performed every day or every other day, and the goal is to work on both endurance and speed. Don’t just go at a snail’s pace; constantly try to improve your time or add some mileage.

2. Strength-Training for Your Lower Body and Core

The next thing you’ll need to focus on is improving both the strength and muscular endurance of the hip flexors, abdominals and spinal erectors. These are the muscles engaged in thrusting and circular motions, and they also stabilize your body in a number of different positions. The legs also play an important role, particularly in standing and kneeling positions. Here are a few exercises that will help you strengthen up this area:

Heavy barbell squats – set up at a power rack at the gym and make sure you use proper form and weights that you can lift 3-8 times. Do this exercise before anything else in the gym for 4-5 sets to get big and powerful legs, as well as tighten up the muscles of the core. This is useful for both men and women, particularly if you enjoy the woman-on-top positions and standing positions. You can do hack squats on the machine if your gym lacks a power rack, but you won’t get the core-strengthening benefits

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Zercher squats – this type of squat is a perfect way for guys to strengthen their body for standing positions where the woman is lifted off the ground. Build up a foundation of strength first, and then use lighter weights and go for 10-12 repetitions to focus on muscle endurance.

Glute bridge – this exercise is great for working the glutes and hip thrusters, and should be done for ultra-high reps —up to 100 — to increase muscle endurance. Once you become stronger in this movement, you can upgrade to the barbell glute bridge and keep the reps high — around 10 to 15.

Hyperextensions – excellent for strengthening the spinal erectors, this exercise (or a variation of it) may be done in most gyms and even at home. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions at the end of your workout.

Ab wheel rollout – this is a great exercise for strengthening the abs, and requires only a piece of inexpensive equipment. It will help you stay stable and hold positions longer without getting tired during intercourse. Do three sets of this workout for as many repetitions as you can.

Cross body crunch – this exercise improves your ability to perform explosive twisting motions, particularly good for improving your stamina in the spoon position where you’e lying on your side. Do 2 to 3 sets of this exercise at the end of your workout.

Incorporate these exercises into your routine 2 to 3 times a week.

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3. Upper-Body Strength Training

Upper-body strength plays an important role in many popular sex positions where the arms are used to provide a stable base or hold onto the partner. These including missionary, doggy style, the stand and carry (with the woman holding onto the man’s neck) and others. Use these simple exercises to improve upper body strength and endurance:

Plank – while bench pressing is great for building a big chest, you will find yourself in need of static strength, muscle endurance and a strong core. This exercise is a great way to increase the amount of time you are able to hold positions that require you to support yourself with your arms. For added difficulty, straighten out your arms like at the top of a pushup and hold as long as you can.

Close pushups – a pushup variation that focuses on triceps, which are the first to give out during a prolonged missionary or similar position. Go for very high reps, 20 t0 50, to work on muscle endurance.

Chin-ups – A great upper back and biceps builder, this exercise will also target the core if you try to be as straight as possible when lifting yourself up. You can jump to help make things easier, or just hold as long as you can if you aren’t strong enough to perform a single chin up. Do 3 to 4 sets for as many reps as you can.

These exercises, done about three times a week, will help you develop a strong upper body that can keep going and hold you up for extended periods of time.

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4. Pelvic-Floor Exercises

You don’t have to perform these at the gym, although you could do them after your workout without anyone even noticing. The idea behind Kegel exercises is to improve blood flow to the sex organs and strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor in both men and women. By locating these muscles and tightening and relaxing them for intervals of 5 seconds for 10 to 15 repetitions at a time, several times a day, you can improve pleasure and performance during sex. Women can tighten their vaginal walls for increased pleasure to both them and their partner, while men can delay ejaculation by tightening these muscles.

5. Flexibility Moves for Legs and Hips

If you want to avoid getting cramps — or even worse, pulling a muscle during intercourse — you should do a few simple stretches every day. The more limber you are, the more comfortable you’ll be with more exotic poses. Here are a few simple stretches to improve hip and leg flexibility:

Take a few minutes to warm up with some light running or jumping jacks before stretching, and spend some 10 minutes on these stretches. You can do them in the morning and at night, or shortly before intercourse.

With just a few hours a week devoted to exercise, you can improve your relationship significantly. If you focus on these exercises, over time, you just might become dynamite in bed.